Junior Panthers Martone, Lazarou, and Hicks selected to play for Team Canada’s 18U squad versus the USA

August 20, 2026 · 0 Comments

Three Central York Junior Panthers were selected to play for Team Canada’s U18 squad that took on the USA in a three-game series at the Olympic Oval in Richmond, BC from August 12-15.

High-scoring forwards Audrey Martone and Demi Lazarou, as well as big game goaltender Claire Hicks, were selected to the national squad after excellent performances with the Panthers in 2025-26. The terrific triumvirate took the momentum from the best season in Junior Panthers’ history and showed those skills and winning ways at tryout camp.

While Martone, Lazarou, and Hicks were prepping to play the Americans in British Columbia, their Head Coach Steve Dempsey was putting the remaining Junior Panthers through their preseason paces at Rink 2 of the Aurora Community Centre last Monday night.

After the spirited workout, the veteran bench boss extolled the work ethic of all three national team selections.

“The credit goes back to the players. They’ve put in the time. They’ve taken the feedback and applied it to their game. They’ve bought in to all our offseason activities—our conditioning workouts and our team-building. We even do a Book Club on Legacy where each player reflects on a chapter that connects to laying a foundation and leaving the program better for future generations of Panthers.”

Coach Dempsey noted that his players “have been applying the skills we learn in the summer in purposeful practices.”

“Our program is immersed in the details. For these players, they know practices are not a time to rest on laurels. It’s valuable time to master skills and always look to improve. Audrey, Demi, and Claire made Team Canada because they’ve taken care of those details. They’ve shown both mental and physical preparation to create opportunities for themselves. That was a highly competitive national camp and there were some surprises when the final roster was selected. It really shows that you can leap over people if you get better each day.”

After stepping off the ice surface at ACC2, Central York Girls Hockey Association President and U22 Assistant Coach Mark Dubeau reveled in the players’ selection to Team Canada 18U.

“We’re certainly very proud of these three players and their accomplishments. We’re also proud of the twelve Panthers who were selected to attend the High Performance Camp for the Ontario Summer Games. It’s great to see.”

By Jim Stewart